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20260920 040000 UTC
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[00:00:08] Perhaps you think you know Scotland, this
[00:00:12] land of proud tradition, rugged
[00:00:17] of mountains, sparkling locks and heather clad
[00:00:24] in hills, but look
[00:00:27] again and... our country may
[00:00:31] of surprise
[00:00:31] you,
[00:00:36] of with its
[00:00:39] vastness,
[00:00:44] its spectacle,
[00:00:48] it's subtlety and its
[00:00:51] splender,
[00:00:56] for this is a wild country. on
[00:01:00] the cusp of change, a
[00:01:04] land where animals and plants are fighting to reclaim their
[00:01:07] place in the natural
[00:01:12] of order.
[00:01:17] of
[00:01:21] This is
[00:01:23] of Scotland. The new
[00:01:26] wild.
[00:01:33] a
[00:01:42] The highlands and islands may be the most famous
[00:01:45] of part of
[00:01:47] of Scotland, but
[00:01:51] it's here in the LOLlands that our nation's character
[00:01:55] really comes to the four, from the
[00:01:59] northeast to the... borders, this is a land rich in
[00:02:02] history and
[00:02:04] culture, home to
[00:02:08] more than 5 million people, it's a landscape of
[00:02:11] towns and cities,
[00:02:14] farms and fragmented
[00:02:21] of forests. you're
[00:02:23] of never far away from humanity here, and wildlife has
[00:02:27] often been pushed to the fringes.
[00:02:32] "but throughout the Lowlands, wild spaces are
[00:02:34] reemerging as nature
[00:02:38] shows its true
[00:02:39] resilience.
[00:02:49] At the heart
[00:02:50] of the Lowans lies the central belt, a place of
[00:02:54] industry and man-made
[00:02:58] of wonders. Eastern end
[00:03:03] of of the belt, on the edge of the Firth of Fourth lies Edinburgh,
[00:03:06] Scotland's capital
[00:03:08] city.
[00:03:19] Hershed on an extinct volcano, its mighty castle has
[00:03:23] dominated the city skyline for five
[00:03:27] of centuries. It overlooks the royal. a magnet for
[00:03:31] tourists and
[00:03:32] buskers,
[00:03:39] but cast an eye skyward, and it won't be long before
[00:03:43] you spot the fastest animal on the
[00:03:47] of planet,
[00:03:53] the pedigrin
[00:03:57] of falcon.
[00:04:02] of 'a pair
[00:04:06] of these birds have recently made their home
[00:04:08] here, as
[00:04:12] diverse as the city
[00:04:14] of itself, the female's a pure wild perigrin,
[00:04:17] whilst her mate is lanner hybrid and escaped falconer's
[00:04:21] birds.
[00:04:26] this year they have two well-grown chicks.
[00:04:31] "they're spending more and more
[00:04:33] of time strengthening their wing muscles,
[00:04:37] sure sign the close to
[00:04:38] fledging,
[00:04:45] it's the larger female falcon who catches most
[00:04:48] of of of the
[00:04:51] of prey,
[00:04:56] but she's no longer bringing it straight back to the chicks.
[00:05:00] of Instead, she lands
[00:05:04] nearby, showing them
[00:05:08] she's caught a tasty
[00:05:09] pigeon.
[00:05:18] "the chicks can see her
[00:05:19] feasting,
[00:05:23] perhaps their hunger will tempt them away from the
[00:05:26] nest, but they're not quite
[00:05:29] ready,
[00:05:38] they still look each other for comfort.
[00:05:43] 'if they want eat, they'll have to take
[00:05:45] flight,
[00:05:51] they're unsure of this final
[00:05:53] step,
[00:06:01] studying their parents as they
[00:06:02] fly,
[00:06:07] until spotting their mother with
[00:06:10] pray. The older check takes the
[00:06:14] plunge,
[00:06:21] claiming pigeon from her
[00:06:23] talents,
[00:06:28] learning the skills needed to master these
[00:06:31] skies.
[00:06:44] 'peragrins are staging remarkable comeback in the lolands
[00:06:47] after toxic agricultural chemicals nearly led
[00:06:51] to their demise in the
[00:06:52] 1960s,
[00:07:00] these two chicks are the latest generation fueling that
[00:07:03] recovery,
[00:07:07] reclaiming the place here in Scotland's New
[00:07:10] Wild.
[00:07:21] further out in Edinburgh's leafy suburbs, another family is
[00:07:25] preparing for life in the wild
[00:07:27] city,
[00:07:35] here on the banks the water of leath,
[00:07:39] young eyes view the outside world for the first time.
[00:07:44] "This tiny fox cup is only few weeks
[00:07:47] old,
[00:07:57] taking its first tentative steps away from the
[00:08:00] den,
[00:08:05] his home is well hidden amongst the vegetation,
[00:08:09] a jungle in the heart the city." "
[00:08:15] but he's not alone
[00:08:17] here,
[00:08:24] his brothers and sisters are
[00:08:26] nearby,
[00:08:31] all keen to explore their new
[00:08:32] world.
[00:08:43] Their older sister, born last year, frequently
[00:08:46] pays them a visit, a
[00:08:50] regular occurrence with this
[00:08:51] family,
[00:08:56] but playtime is never far away, as they
[00:09:00] build up their strength and burn off
[00:09:03] energy.
[00:09:23] First scene in our cities in the 1960s,
[00:09:27] foxes have readily adapted to
[00:09:28] life
[00:09:37] here. As the weeks pass, the cubs venture further and further from
[00:09:41] the den. a network of paths and
[00:09:44] gardens,
[00:09:51] they live hard and fast lives in our
[00:09:53] cities, but for now
[00:09:57] independence is still a few weeks away, and the cubs can
[00:10:01] practice their hunting and stalking under the watchful eyes their
[00:10:04] parents.
[00:10:09] Adulthood can wait for another day.
[00:10:22] 50 km to the west lies Glasgow.
[00:10:26] Scotland's biggest
[00:10:26] city.
[00:10:31] Animals have learned to coexist alongside the hustle and bustle of people's
[00:10:35] lives here
[00:10:35] too.
[00:10:42] In the city's east end, not far from Scotland's busiest
[00:10:46] highway, one animal is thriving a very
[00:10:50] unexpected
[00:10:50] place. By doing
[00:10:54] things. very much its own
[00:10:57] way,
[00:11:03] the water vole, living in burrows nowhere near
[00:11:07] water,
[00:11:16] these voles were only discovered in 2008, and
[00:11:20] were initially thought to be
[00:11:21] rats. They're
[00:11:25] the only population known to live like this in
[00:11:27] Scotland.
[00:11:37] Much their time is spent forraging. They need to eat more than
[00:11:41] 80% their body weight every
[00:11:43] day.
[00:12:01] the density of voles here is amongst the highest in the
[00:12:04] country, they're safer
[00:12:08] here with many their predators avoiding the noise and traffic
[00:12:12] at one the east end's busiest bus
[00:12:14] stops.
[00:12:20] hopefully these feisty miniature glass regions will continue
[00:12:23] to thrive here. for years to
[00:12:26] come,
[00:12:42] away from its cities, the Lowlands are
[00:12:46] intensely managed
[00:12:47] place.
[00:12:51] 75% of Scotland's landscape is utilize is
[00:12:55] for agriculture and most of it can be found
[00:12:59] here, dissected
[00:13:03] by host of great
[00:13:04] rivers, the
[00:13:08] mighties of which is the
[00:13:10] t,
[00:13:13] flowing for over 190 kilometers through
[00:13:17] glens, farmland and
[00:13:19] cities,
[00:13:22] here in the cars of Gauri. It slows and
[00:13:26] widens
[00:13:27] dramatically.
[00:13:31] This is a place where maritime and freshwater habitats
[00:13:35] meet. Mud
[00:13:39] flats and salt marsh emerge from the water twice
[00:13:41] daily.
[00:13:46] This vast expanse is home to one of Europe's
[00:13:50] greatest read beds,
[00:13:54] stretching for. nearly 20
[00:13:56] kms
[00:14:00] and it's here some truly special species can be
[00:14:04] found,
[00:14:12] like the
[00:14:13] bearded
[00:14:24] tit though for the Hails, it's more of mustache than a full
[00:14:27] beard.
[00:14:34] These birds only arrived here in the 1990s, and
[00:14:38] more than half the UK population can now be found
[00:14:41] here.
[00:14:48] As autum approaches, they begin to prepare for an
[00:14:52] entirely new diet.
[00:14:58] Read
[00:14:58] seats:
[00:15:04] they're difficult to digest, but these birds have evolved to
[00:15:08] cope with
[00:15:08] this.
[00:15:12] In winter, the muscle structure in their tiny stomachs
[00:15:16] changes, and with one special
[00:15:19] ingredient, they're able to break the reed seeds
[00:15:22] down. The secret their
[00:15:26] success is
[00:15:28] grit. It
[00:15:31] can only be found on this old concrete pipe
[00:15:35] deposited by the river at high tide.
[00:15:44] lining their stomach, the grit helps grind up the tough
[00:15:48] fibrous
[00:15:49] seeds,
[00:16:04] this place may look wild and untamed. but it's an
[00:16:08] entirely man-made
[00:16:09] habitat,
[00:16:14] first planted in the 1700s to guard against
[00:16:17] erosion, the reads are now regularly cut for
[00:16:20] conservation management, ensuring mosaic of
[00:16:24] vegetation
[00:16:25] ages,
[00:16:32] keeping this unique landscape a sanctuary for its
[00:16:36] specialized
[00:16:37] life,
[00:16:52] another rare species is spreading out from the great te readbed
[00:16:56] into nearby
[00:16:56] farmland,
[00:17:05] the Marsh Harrier.
[00:17:17] This male and his partner have nest hidden deep within
[00:17:21] the
[00:17:21] reads.
[00:17:29] The female spends less of her time here now, leaving the
[00:17:33] provisioning to her partner.
[00:17:38] As he drops into the nest, it's a scramble to secure a
[00:17:42] meal.
[00:17:55] He doesn't linger for long, for he's holding a
[00:17:59] great
[00:18:00] secret.
[00:18:05] Just over a kilometer away. 'He has another
[00:18:09] family,
[00:18:13] not unusual for Harriers
[00:18:15] here,
[00:18:24] his other partner is hard at work, gathering rushes for their
[00:18:28] nest to keep it topped
[00:18:30] up,
[00:18:36] but he can't rest'. for long, needing to catch enough
[00:18:40] pray for his family here
[00:18:41] too.
[00:18:47] As he approaches, she sets off in pursuit,
[00:18:51] begging for
[00:18:52] food.
[00:19:04] And catches, pray items and... killer food
[00:19:08] passes,
[00:19:15] there will be no let up for him until both his broods have
[00:19:18] fledged.
[00:19:28] In the 1970s, Marsh Harriers were reduced to just a single
[00:19:32] pair, but Scotland now has more than dozen
[00:19:36] breeding females. all nesting within
[00:19:39] reach their mighty te read bed
[00:19:42] stronghold.
[00:20:00] further up stream and even greater recovery is
[00:20:03] underway.
[00:20:07] one with the potential to change the very face the
[00:20:11] lolens,
[00:20:16] and here in parth, signs of this are
[00:20:20] emerging.
[00:20:26] after an absence of over 400
[00:20:28] years, beavers are
[00:20:31] back.
[00:20:39] Living on the quiet
[00:20:40] backwaters.
[00:20:52] "and it's here this adult female
[00:20:54] resides, busily working on her
[00:20:58] coat,
[00:21:05] keeping it in tip top
[00:21:07] shape,
[00:21:12] she does this regularly to ensure it's
[00:21:15] waterproof.
[00:21:22] Her enlarged teats are sure sign that she has
[00:21:25] young.
[00:21:31] This year she's given birth
[00:21:33] to three
[00:21:34] kits.
[00:21:49] Living. a family group alongside her mate and last year's
[00:21:53] young.
[00:22:01] beavers are sociable animals and this young group are
[00:22:04] incredibly
[00:22:05] close,
[00:22:09] congregating to groom one another, reaffirming their
[00:22:13] bonds.
[00:22:23] "the newest kits are busy
[00:22:24] exploring,
[00:22:31] even at this young age they're very
[00:22:33] independent,
[00:22:41] but getting back into the water might need a little more
[00:22:45] practice."
[00:22:49] " Their
[00:22:53] parents are never far away, gathering fresh shoots from
[00:22:57] their favorite
[00:22:58] trees.
[00:23:11] They'll go to great lengths to find the best
[00:23:13] branches,
[00:23:18] but they don't always judge it
[00:23:20] perfectly,
[00:23:26] it's a time of real plenty for
[00:23:27] them,
[00:23:34] the tastiest shoots aren't safe from the mischivous
[00:23:37] kits, he
[00:23:41] won't miss a chance to steal a free
[00:23:43] meal.
[00:23:52] There are signs these beavers scattered all along the
[00:23:55] river, piles of woody debry slow the
[00:23:59] flow of water, creating
[00:24:01] opportunities for
[00:24:04] kingfishers.
[00:24:23] 'the beavers have created many new hunting spots for these
[00:24:26] charismatic
[00:24:27] birds.
[00:24:36] more than a thousand these rodents can now be found across the tee
[00:24:40] catchment.
[00:24:47] the return these ecosystem engineers'. has already brought
[00:24:51] changes to this landscape with their dams creating new
[00:24:54] wetlands
[00:24:55] here.
[00:25:00] This has sometimes brought them into conflict with
[00:25:02] farmers, as blocked ditches can flood
[00:25:06] fields.
[00:25:10] But these wetlands are richly diverse
[00:25:13] places and can provide kick start for nature
[00:25:16] restoration throughout the Lowlands.
[00:25:39] further downstream, where the river meets the north sea
[00:25:42] lies the maritime city of
[00:25:44] Dundi.
[00:25:50] famous for its railway bridges and old
[00:25:52] dupmills.
[00:25:57] The tidal mud flats here are home to billions of
[00:26:00] invertebrates. drawing in huge
[00:26:04] numbers of wading birds to feed throughout the
[00:26:07] winter.
[00:26:11] Unlike the people who live here, the life of a waider is
[00:26:15] controlled not by the hours of daylight, but by
[00:26:18] the rise and fall the
[00:26:20] tide. At low
[00:26:24] water, thousands feed out on the exposed
[00:26:27] mud.
[00:26:30] Each species has adapt. to take advantage their own niche
[00:26:34] with their prey determined by the size and
[00:26:38] shape their
[00:26:38] bill.
[00:26:47] in the inner estary, red shank dominate with thousands
[00:26:51] prowling the wet mud flats.
[00:26:52] further
[00:26:59] out, bartailed godwits worked the water.
[00:27:02] edge,
[00:27:07] probing deeper into the
[00:27:08] mud,
[00:27:15] while turnstones actly display why they were
[00:27:18] named,
[00:27:26] all them are working against the clock, foraging as much as they
[00:27:29] can before the tide turns.
[00:27:38] but there are other things they'll need to keep an eye
[00:27:41] on. These large congregations
[00:27:45] have drawn the attention of a peregrine
[00:27:47] folcon.
[00:27:59] This time it leaves empty-handed.
[00:28:08] Waders rust communally
[00:28:11] and finding somewhere safe to wait out high water
[00:28:15] is difficult here on the steep sea walls of
[00:28:17] Dundee.
[00:28:23] One the most unusual roosts is on the sewage
[00:28:25] outflow where as the tide
[00:28:29] rises Red Shank and turnstone begin to.
[00:28:37] congregate, there some initial jostling for the best
[00:28:39] position, but it's the red shanks who claim the higher and
[00:28:43] dryer ground where sleep will come more
[00:28:46] easily
[00:29:01] further out, the larger waiders are on the
[00:29:04] move,
[00:29:11] weaving their way towards the outer
[00:29:13] estury,
[00:29:19] before settling on the sand to rest,
[00:29:23] awaiting the next low
[00:29:24] tide.
[00:29:29] Numbers these birds have declined from historic.
[00:29:35] but they're still doing well here where Scotland's
[00:29:39] greatest river meets the North
[00:29:41] Sea.
[00:30:05] Further inland, traversing the counties of Perthshire and
[00:30:08] Angus, lies an Arable
[00:30:12] Heartland, covering more than 1,300
[00:30:16] square
[00:30:16] kilometers,
[00:30:20] the great plain of
[00:30:21] Strathmore,
[00:30:29] nearly every last hectare here is cultivated.
[00:30:45] But small pockets of native woodland do
[00:30:47] remain, fragments the great
[00:30:50] forests the
[00:30:51] past. As
[00:30:55] dawn breaks, this special wood is coming to
[00:30:58] life.